Sudden cardiac arrest as a presenting symptom of mitral valve prolapse.

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common and predominantly benign condition; however, occasional reports of cardiac arrest in individuals with MVP have raised concern for a malignant subtype. The risk of sudden cardiac arrest in MVP is twice as high as that in the general population. The exact aetiology and risk predictors are elusive, but identification is necessary, if we are to protect patients at risk for cardiac arrest.

Estimating Length of Stay for Simple Gastroschisis.

Background: Length of stay (LOS) is an important measure of quality; however, estimating LOS for rare populations such as gastroschisis is problematic. Our objective was to identify explanatory variables for LOS and build a model to estimate LOS in neonates with simple gastroschisis.

Methods: In 73 neonates with simple gastroschisis (47% female, 67% White), statistical correlations for 31 potential explanatory variables for LOS were evaluated using multivariate linear regression.